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Pokémon Gaming CentralFor topics that aren't necessarily restricted to one game, Pokémon Gaming Central ranges from comparing and contrasting the differences in the gaming generations to discussing the gaming franchise as a whole.

What are your thoughts on the pokemon franchise? Has it gotten better over the years or worse? Personally, I think the pokemon franchise has gotten worse, and it starts with the pokemon themselves. Many people say that the new pokemon aren't original enough, but I actually have a completely different view. I personally think the pokemon are too original. I know this is not a popular view, but that's what I think. Was growlithe (a dog who breathes fire) original? NO. Did we love him? YES. Was dragonite (a steryotypical dragon) original? NO. Did we love him? YES. They were very simplistic and "cute" looking. Now, is kyrueum (a "mythical" looking dragon with ice powers) creative? YES. Do we like him? NO. He's "too" creative. Too many jagged lines and too complex looking. Do you agree with this?

Second, the story line. I know people want a more complex story line in the games, but isn't that what we got in black and white? The story line wasn't entirely different, but it was definitely more complex than red and blue. Yet, people still don't like it. What do you people want?? I personally think that pokemon should go back to the less complex storyline that got people involved in the first place. The best part about those storylines was that they DIDN'T have legendary pokemon as part of the main plot line. Starting in generation 3, with the exception of the remakes, all of the storylines have revolved around legendary pokemon. Groudon/kyogre in ruby and sapphire, rayquaza in emerald, dialga/palkia and uxie/mesprit/the other pixie pokemon and giranitia in diamond, pearl, and platinum, and then the new dragons in black and white. What happened to the legendaries not needing to be captured or fought or interacted with? Mewtwo, the 3 birds, lugia, ho-oh, and the 3 dogs didn't need any interaction to complete the story line, and were more of an adventure than a chore to have to defend them from the bad team.

COuld it be because when we, or at least I, played the games back then, we were more nieve? We were perfectly happy having a level 70 charizard and then a level 6 pidgey and level 7 ratatta. Now we play like we are planning for a competitive battle. We need all the pokemomn around the same level, well balanced types, no duplicate moves of the same types, and an HM slave. Could it e our nietivite that made the older games better?

I am not a nostalgia *** or anything like that. I own both black and white and may go get one of the new ones. I enjoy playing online. I like trading. I like the new graphics. But it just doesn't seem to have the same fun as the older games.

What do you think? Im not looking for someone to tell me I'm right, just looking for some opinions and a discussion

Man I wrote like 150 words, but erase it accidentally. I 'm not gonna rewrite it, but it was pretty much this:
It has gotten worse.
"Too many jagged lines and too complex looking. Do you agree with this?"
Hell yeah.
New pokemon=bad-looking like they wear too much jewelry.
Game storyline needs to be a little changed. I mean it's too much of the same every time.
Also, soooo many legendaries. Too much of them. It's not special, when you make 10 of them.

Naivete is definitely something that goes hand in hand with nostalgia, and kids today would find Red and Blue unplayable due to the blobby graphics and lack of color. It's all a part of perception and when you were first exposed to it.

However, the franchise is indeed going downhill. Although there have been improvements with storyline, graphics, and legendary integration, the pinncale of the series was, surprisingly to many, Pokemon Emerald.

I still believe that Crystal is the best game in the series, especially considering how it expanded so much from the games before it. 251 Pokemon in the Dex, two regions, sixteen badges, good game design, and everything we needed to kill 70 hours of our lives with.

Emerald built upon Crystal - Ruby and Sapphire, having introduced abilities, natures, and double battles in addition to a new region made a big difference in expansion of the gameplay. Emerald went even further and made a crazier story with two villain teams battling each other and things really going wild at times. Although there were a few instances of bad game design in RSE - backtracking to Petalburg, losing to Norman, back-backtracking to train against wild Pokemon ten levels below yours, then back-back-backtracking to potentially lose to Norman again; there's also the expansive sea routes which can exhaust your Repel supply whilst exploring.

Gen IV didn't really build upon anything and was instead a DS version of what was before. The physical/special split was nice and all, but it wasn't a completely new addition because it hardly changed gameplay, it just changed which attacks were feasible for which Pokemon to use. DP were horrific with the slow game engine, the lack of ANY plot, few fire-types, bad dungeons, and many other sporadic issues. Platinum thankfully fixed most of them, but if they release a beta to fix everything with it like they did there, then the series is obviously going downhill. Also, given designs like Klink, Cofagrigus, Alomomola, Gurdurr, and plenty of other Unova Pokemon, it's clear that they're running out of ideas for Pokemon design. It shows.

My point here is really that they haven't done much of anything new with Pokemon since Gen 3 (as triple and rotation battles were so rarely used, I don't count them); it's because of this lack of newness that makes it harder for one to look forward to new Pokemon games in modernity; back with Crystal, we eagerly awaited Gen 3 because Crystal was such a huge expansion and we expected even more down the line - we got it in Gen 3 with all kinds of improvements. That was in like 2003. It's been almost ten years. BW2 have minor details added to enhance the overall gameplay experience, but the horrific character design (especially after Hilbert and Hilda were great) and few new gameplay elements make me question how long the series has left UNLESS they decide to go in a different direction.

The series is going downhill. Pokemon just isn't fun like it used to be because we've played it to death and GameFreak can't offer us anything new except for new Pokemon and a new region. Other RPG series always find ways to tweak their battle systems in every game. Why can't Pokemon do that?

For the record, Lugia/Ho-oh and Suicune are important to HGSS, and HGSS are superior to Crystal, at least in plot.

Hilda's design was awful. She looked like Miley Cyrus.

The Physical/Special split is ome of the most important things in the history of the series. Like extremely.

I will agree that the number of legends is out of hand.

I suppose if Klink, Confagrigus, and Gurrdurr are obviously lazy design that shows their running out of ideas, they shoulda stopped after Gen 1, because Magnemite, Voltorb, and Jynx show they were running out of ideas.

The games are getting better, IMO. People have been calling BW2 the best yet in a lot of places.

The TV show- The TV show has gotten so bad I cant stand to watch it anymore! Its so cheesy and lame and ugh! I love the show up to about sinnoh were it was decent. BW just stunk.
Conclusion- Old>>>>New

The video games- The quality, graphics and all that stuff have gotten better but BW was really easy and the pokemon are lame. I also love the original games just because i like dem bad graphics.
Conclusion- Old>>New

The TCG- I like the new dragon types but other than that the old and the new are about the same.
Conclusion- Old=New

The pokemon themselves- Ugh. A chandelier, an ice cream cone, a garbage bag? What is happening!? The old pokemon had a magical creative touch to them and the new ones just seem like the people making them either pick a random animal or spin in a circle and see what they end up facing and BAM. New pokemon.
Conclusion- Old>>>New

Conclusion of the conclusions- Old>>>New

__________________

I like Sandshrews. A lot. I am Sandshrews number 1 fan. And don't you deny it.
My friend code for White 2 is 4857 7379 4725

The TV show- The TV show has gotten so bad I cant stand to watch it anymore! Its so cheesy and lame and ugh! I love the show up to about sinnoh were it was decent. BW just stunk.
Conclusion- Old>>>>New

The video games- The quality, graphics and all that stuff have gotten better but BW was really easy and the pokemon are lame. I also love the original games just because i like dem bad graphics.
Conclusion- Old>>New

The TCG- I like the new dragon types but other than that the old and the new are about the same.
Conclusion- Old=New

The pokemon themselves- Ugh. A chandelier, an ice cream cone, a garbage bag? What is happening!? The old pokemon had a magical creative touch to them and the new ones just seem like the people making them either pick a random animal or spin in a circle and see what they end up facing and BAM. New pokemon.
Conclusion- Old>>>New

I don't get why so many people like the original anime so much. Everything is so contrived and silly, and the characters had so little growth, it was ridiculous.

B/W is harder then any of the other Gens aside from Gen 3 honestly. Gen 3 is the only other Gen I've found as even slightly challenging. Gen 1&2 are jokes as challenges.

TCG I don't care about.

You seem to be mistaken. Gen 1 was were the majority of Pokemon were just random animals. Then again, I guess a LIVING POKEBALL!, a pile of sludge then a bigger pile of sludge, various animals, and such are the epitome of creativity.

And in Gen 1, some of the Pokemon had mediocre design, yes. I'm just saying the use of further inanimate objects makes me wonder if they have nothing left to offer. Some of Gen 5's designs were great, like Zebstrika and Dewott, but not everyone has that luxury. Every generation has its gems and stinkers. Gen 5 just seems to have the most stinkers.

As for the anime, I prefer the original series by a long shot because it was actually entertaining to watch. If they have so-called development now, I'm missing it. They're not doing enough with it. It's just minor stories and no recurring plot throughout the episodes. We aren't even going to see Team Plasma...

I don't get why so many people like the original anime so much. Everything is so contrived and silly, and the characters had so little growth, it was ridiculous.

B/W is harder then any of the other Gens aside from Gen 3 honestly. Gen 3 is the only other Gen I've found as even slightly challenging. Gen 1&2 are jokes as challenges.

TCG I don't care about.

You seem to be mistaken. Gen 1 was were the majority of Pokemon were just random animals. Then again, I guess a LIVING POKEBALL!, a pile of sludge then a bigger pile of sludge, various animals, and such are the epitome of creativity.

And as for the designs, it was the first season! As the seasons progressed, the designs got better (in my opinion) except sandshrew was better than them all! Anyway, the originals were what they were. Originals. You are supposed to build off them. BW mainly did the opposite. It reused old Pokemon designs. I know other regions have done that but I think BW did it to much. And I prefer a living poke all over an ice cream cone.

__________________

I like Sandshrews. A lot. I am Sandshrews number 1 fan. And don't you deny it.
My friend code for White 2 is 4857 7379 4725

I still believe that Crystal is the best game in the series, especially considering how it expanded so much from the games before it. 251 Pokemon in the Dex, two regions, sixteen badges, good game design, and everything we needed to kill 70 hours of our lives with.

Not to mention, the awesome way they had a ridiculously easy level curve, and that instead of just an awesome new region, they just had two watered-down ones, one of which had already been used in the previous generation.

Quote:

Although there were a few instances of bad game design in RSE - backtracking to Petalburg, losing to Norman, back-backtracking to train against wild Pokemon ten levels below yours, then back-back-backtracking to potentially lose to Norman again; there's also the expansive sea routes which can exhaust your Repel supply whilst exploring.

Wait, what. You're just assuming that, A) Everyone lost to Norman on their first try, and B) No one ever healed up at the Pokemon Center in Petalburg? As for the expansive sea routes, repels aren't exactly expensive. Not at all, at that point in the game, you can easily afford 50+ while still having enough for Pokeballs and healing items and whatnot. Repels aren't exhausted so quickly as you seem to think they are.

Quote:

Gen IV didn't really build upon anything and was instead a DS version of what was before. The physical/special split was nice and all, but it wasn't a completely new addition because it hardly changed gameplay, it just changed which attacks were feasible for which Pokemon to use. DP were horrific with the slow game engine, the lack of ANY plot, few fire-types, bad dungeons, and many other sporadic issues.

Agreed, except for the plot. First, you praise Emerald's plot for it's craziness or somesuch, and then you say D/P lacks any plot? It was on par with Emerald's, just not as refined, because Emerald was the third, updated version.

Quote:

Also, given designs like Klink, Cofagrigus, Alomomola, Gurdurr, and plenty of other Unova Pokemon, it's clear that they're running out of ideas for Pokemon design. It shows.

Exactly what's wrong with any of those? You listed four Pokemon which aren't really that odd or badly designed, and failed to list anything else, it's like those are the only examples you can think of. In any case, Gen V introduced over 150 new Pokemon, and every generation has it's duds. It's pretty much up to individual taste as to which Pokemon qualify as these duds, but they're there. Even if you could list ten or fifteen badly designed Gen V Pokemon, there's over one hundred and fifty of them. No, they're not running out of ideas.

Quote:

The TV show- The TV show has gotten so bad I cant stand to watch it anymore! Its so cheesy and lame and ugh! I love the show up to about sinnoh were it was decent. BW just stunk.
Conclusion- Old>>>>New

The video games- The quality, graphics and all that stuff have gotten better but BW was really easy and the pokemon are lame. I also love the original games just because i like dem bad graphics.
Conclusion- Old>>New

The TCG- I like the new dragon types but other than that the old and the new are about the same.
Conclusion- Old=New

The pokemon themselves- Ugh. A chandelier, an ice cream cone, a garbage bag? What is happening!? The old pokemon had a magical creative touch to them and the new ones just seem like the people making them either pick a random animal or spin in a circle and see what they end up facing and BAM. New pokemon.
Conclusion- Old>>>New

Conclusion of the conclusions- Old>>>New

. . . I honestly can't tell if you're serious, or if you're being sarcastic, a troll, or whatever. For one, the anime has never been good, it's just that as you get older, it appeals to you less, and you notice how repetitive it is. Besides, the games are the important part, not the anime or the TCG.

Oh, yes, magical creative touch! Like a seal! Wtih a horn! Called Seel! Or a brown semi-circle with a face! Or a pile of eggs with faces, or some kind of weird human imitation thing, or a ball, with a face, or a pile of sludge, with a face, or a pink blob with a face! Those all have that "magical creative touch", don't they? What on Earth is wrong with having a Pokemon based off an ice cream cone, or a rubbish bag, or a chandelier? How is Vanilluxe worse than Exeggutor, Trubbish/Garbodor worse than Grimer/Muk, or Chandelure worse than Magnemite/Magneton? Those three have some of the most creative and awesome designs in the series, and it's just nostalgia blinding you to that.

Quote:

BW mainly did the opposite. It reused old Pokemon designs

How? Examples? Proof? Anything? You just make a statement without backing it up whatsoever and expect us to accept it, just like that?

And as for the designs, it was the first season! As the seasons progressed, the designs got better (in my opinion) except sandshrew was better than them all! Anyway, the originals were what they were. Originals. You are supposed to build off them. BW mainly did the opposite. It reused old Pokemon designs. I know other regions have done that but I think BW did it to much. And I prefer a living poke all over an ice cream cone.

From the little bit I've watched, yes. What I'm saying is, it's silly to say that one was undeniably better then the other. I have plenty of happy memories of the original series as well, but I won't say it was perfect. It's really hard for me to go back and watch some of the episodes. B/W isn't perfect, but I will argue with anyone who says it was undeniably worse then the original, and I'll do the same in reverse.

Neither series is perfect, but they're both good.

You must not play a lot of games then.

That's not an excuse. Every gen has to build off of them. I will say this, Gen 5 may not have had the best designs, but you can't say they were the worst since Gen 1 was a lot less inspired in most senses.

Gen 2 designs weren't that great either. We got bears, Angler Fish, deer and a ton of baby Pokemon. Some more birds, an Octopus, bugs, lots of fish, dogs and some plants.

Gen 3 was honestly the region with some of the coolest designed Pokemon in my opinion, but it was far from perfect. We got hungry sludge, Pikachu clones, a giant nose rock, two Firefly things, and ect.

Gen 4... Even more baby Pokemon, more birds, some monkeys, turtles, all kinds of bugs. Otters, two balloons (Even though they are two of my favorite Pokemon), slugs, some more dragons, cats. A tentacle monster sure is creative, I've never seen one of those before.

Another thing people don't seem to think about it that Unova is supposed to represent the United States areas while the other Gens represent Japan. It's only natural that there will be some major differences between Pokemon in the two areas.

My point is, it's silly. You can't DEFINE what a Pokemon is or isn't and to try and do that is pointless.

Not to mention, the awesome way they had a ridiculously easy level curve, and that instead of just an awesome new region, they just had two watered-down ones, one of which had already been used in the previous generation.

That is true, but what I was referring to was the expansiveness of Crystal really unlocked their potential; if only they'd have made the game somewhat more challenging, given how easy it was after Whitney's Miltank.

Quote:

Wait, what. You're just assuming that, A) Everyone lost to Norman on their first try, and B) No one ever healed up at the Pokemon Center in Petalburg? As for the expansive sea routes, repels aren't exactly expensive. Not at all, at that point in the game, you can easily afford 50+ while still having enough for Pokeballs and healing items and whatnot. Repels aren't exhausted so quickly as you seem to think they are.

Norman is brutally tough and I'd be surprised if plenty of first-timers beat him on their first go. Even as having played the prior games, I wasn't expecting that kind of brutality. And I did heal up in Petalburg - it's just that Norman's Slakings are ridiculous unless you've encountered them before.
The sea routes are bigger than one thinks, so if one only buys 10 repels thinking they'd be fine, then that's a problem. It's also confusing to get around, but I kind of like that. I don't like the endless Tentacool, though.

Quote:

Agreed, except for the plot. First, you praise Emerald's plot for it's craziness or somesuch, and then you say D/P lacks any plot? It was on par with Emerald's, just not as refined, because Emerald was the third, updated version.

D/P had no personality whatsoever, and it was a pointless exercise in thuggery, as if they had no motive at all. Platinum changed that - Emerald was a combination of Ruby and Sapphire, which made a damn good plot. D/P was basically soulless and uncharming in every way possible, not even having a notable villain. Cyrus thus had a bigger role in Platinum and boy, did he need it.

Quote:

Exactly what's wrong with any of those? You listed four Pokemon which aren't really that odd or badly designed, and failed to list anything else, it's like those are the only examples you can think of. In any case, Gen V introduced over 150 new Pokemon, and every generation has it's duds. It's pretty much up to individual taste as to which Pokemon qualify as these duds, but they're there. Even if you could list ten or fifteen badly designed Gen V Pokemon, there's over one hundred and fifty of them. No, they're not running out of ideas.

You have a fair point there, but Gen V has the most duds in my mind. Klink's design is horrific given how it's just gears. Cofagrigus is a creepy coffin that just doesn't make sense. Alomomola is just Luvdisc 2.0. Gurdurr is just plain ugly. Vanillite looks like an ice cream cone. Garbordor is a freakin' dumpster. Golurk may look awesome but it doesn't look like a Pokemon. Need I list more? There are a lot of lines in Gen V that I wouldn't use because I hate the designs of them. This isn't the same case in the early generations, because I can only think of things like Muk and Electrode in Gen I. There's 150 of them there, too, and overall, it's a better bunch.

I fully expect Gen VI to have more duds than V had, and for the curve to get progressively worse.

That is true, but what I was referring to was the expansiveness of Crystal really unlocked their potential; if only they'd have made the game somewhat more challenging, given how easy it was after Whitney's Miltank.

They had to make it easy in order to let you go to both regions without being ridiculous.

Quote originally posted by LividZephyr:

Norman is brutally tough and I'd be surprised if plenty of first-timers beat him on their first go. Even as having played the prior games, I wasn't expecting that kind of brutality. And I did heal up in Petalburg - it's just that Norman's Slakings are ridiculous unless you've encountered them before.
The sea routes are bigger than one thinks, so if one only buys 10 repels thinking they'd be fine, then that's a problem. It's also confusing to get around, but I kind of like that. I don't like the endless Tentacool, though.

Norman isn't that tough. I beat him on my second try, without grinding, in my first play through. I'll admit, it catches you off guard, but it's not that it's difficult, it's that facade/holy gorillasloth batman are a SURPRISE.

The sea routes have stops along the way. There's very few expanses where 10 Super Repels (You know, the only kind you should buy?) isn't going to cut it, and even if it won't, you have more than enough cash to get 50~.

Quote originally posted by LividZephyr:

D/P had no personality whatsoever, and it was a pointless exercise in thuggery, as if they had no motive at all. Platinum changed that - Emerald was a combination of Ruby and Sapphire, which made a damn good plot. D/P was basically soulless and uncharming in every way possible, not even having a notable villain. Cyrus thus had a bigger role in Platinum and boy, did he need it.

Plot of Emerald:
Turf War between teams.
Revive Groudon and Kyogre.
Realize they're idiots whose plans are not logical in the least.
Rayquaza flea from nowhere.
End of plot.

Plot of DP:
Weirdos in weird suits steal Pokemon.
Capture the lake spirits to harness their energy to capture the mascot.
Summon Palkia/Dialga.
Hurrdurr Lake Spirits save the day.
End of plot.

Nah

Quote originally posted by LividZephyr:

You have a fair point there, but Gen V has the most duds in my mind. Klink's design is horrific given how it's just gears. Cofagrigus is a creepy coffin that just doesn't make sense. Alomomola is just Luvdisc 2.0. Gurdurr is just plain ugly. Vanillite looks like an ice cream cone. Garbordor is a freakin' dumpster. Golurk may look awesome but it doesn't look like a Pokemon. Need I list more? There are a lot of lines in Gen V that I wouldn't use because I hate the designs of them. This isn't the same case in the early generations, because I can only think of things like Muk and Electrode in Gen I. There's 150 of them there, too, and overall, it's a better bunch.

I fully expect Gen VI to have more duds than V had, and for the curve to get progressively worse.

You have a fair point about my nostalgia glasses, at least when it comes to Pokemon designs. That might just be it, even though some of Gen V's stink. But the idea of a living trash bag is just... no. No way.

And hmm... maybe Casteliacones ARE based upon the Vanillish line...

Yeah, that's obvious

And I happen to like Ditto. It's a very inventive Pokemon given how it can be a copycat. Magikarp was made to be pathetic. Those two are the most defendable of the ones you listed.

As for the plot... D/P didn't impress me at all. I never felt that anything was at stake there. And nobody had like any personality. It was just like everyone was... there. Rowan is the worst of the professors, and the gym leaders were all devoid of personality, except for Fantina, Candice, and Volkner. That seemed to be a step down from Gen III, really. In a lot of ways.

I will keep my opinions, most likely. Nostalgia may be a huge factor in them, but I just don't like some of the designs. They just don't appeal to me. Not that I'm saying all to me. I guess that might just be me.

I prefer Zebstrika to Rapidash, actually, and you probably would too if Zebstrika came first. There are some real gems in Gen V, even if I don't like a wide amount of them. Garbodor is one of the worst of all time, and Muk is probably one of the worst-designed of Gen I.

I do prefer Gen I as a whole, and nostalgia has something to do with that. I'm just not letting my nostalgia influence my opinions on Gen V, which in my mind has the most stinkers even if it does have things like Volcarona and Zebstrika - perennial team members of mine. I only see myself using a limited amount of Gen V Pokemon in playing, because not that many interest me...

Curious. What d'you mean by more natural, and why does more simplistic equal better, according to you? And exactly why is Zebstrika worse than Rapidash --apart from the fact that it's from Gen V -- in your opinion?

Personally, I can't stand Watchog, that thing. . . that thing is horrible. xD Vanilluxe isn't my favourite, but it definitely does have a unique and creative design, I think, and then there's the real gems, like Krookodile, Chandelure, Volcorona, Zebstrika, Serperior, Samurott, Excadrill, Archeops, and so forth. Unfortunately, I'm not all too familiar with the Gen V 'dex as it were, but I love this gen.

Quote:

And hmm... maybe Casteliacones ARE based upon the Vanillish line...

Not only that, but from it's Pokedex entries, the Vanillish line are stalactites, anyway! (Or was it the other one. . . ?) They're able to justify it well with the 'dex, and the assumption is that ice cream scoops were based on the Pokemon, but there have been Pokemon that came into existence after the object they're based on, according to the 'dex, like Voltorb and Muk, for example. Personally, I rather like the lore for them. :D

Something to remember, though, is that nostalgia will always affect judgement of a long-running series. You'll be remembering what the series was like when you were an easily impressed child, for the most part, and so you'll still tend to be happy with sub-par things like Diglett. XD I know, I used to hate Gen V and say that GF was running out of ideas, and so on and so forth myself.

Comparing Best Wishes to the older shows, Best Wishes is way better because of the superior cast. As we know, Pokemon's "story" isn't really the most interesting thing and it's just an episodic traveling show. So the most important thing are the characters. And sorry, but Iris and Dent are way better than Misty, May and Brock. Everyone is better than Hoehn/Sinnoh Brock. He should have left the show with Misty.

Games... Well, the series kept improving visually, that's obvious. As the time went, they spent more and more time creating a story, since Gen 1 and Gen 2 weren't really story driven (aka the story was really simple, go get those badges and beat Team Rocket on the way since the gyms are locked because of them). Gameplay also improved a lot. Just compare Red and Black. And I'm not just talking about the battles, but about the moves/stats etc.

In case anybody wonders, I like Rapidash over Zebstrika, because of Zebstrika's tail and things like this. I know it's an electric pokemon. That's fair. I just prefer Rapidash over it, cause it looks more natural which counts a lot for me. Also, I don't like black & white combinations anyway. It's not that I think Zebstrika is bad-looking. Not at all. In fact, it's one of the best-looking.
I like simplicity. That's why I don't like the new pokemon at all. One Mr. Mime here, another Jynx there is nice. But it has gone too far with these designs.

I personally preferred the older Pokémon games. I liked the designs of the Pokémon better because they seemed more natural and all that and I really liked the charm of the 8-bit music and graphically simple environments. However, the fact that I mentioned charm at all in that first sentence shows how biased I am - mostly I play the older games for nostalgia which gives me genuine enjoyment.

However regarding my point about the designs - I'm not at all surprised that they seem less natural now. I imagine it's hard to take a real animal and make it into a Pokémon 150 times over, let alone however many times over we have now (lol i don't even know how many pokémon there are any more). So yeah GF would have had to mess with newer ones a lot more and add elements which were never in the original Pokémon just to make them viable - something which, I suppose, automatically detracts from how 'natural' they are. So it's not a dig at the game designers that I'm having there - I understand why the current Pokémon are less natural-looking and I fully expected it. I just don't like it.

Although that's not to say that I don't love some of the newer aspects. Although I stopped battling competitively at the end of the 4th Generation, competitive battling is constantly improving as it gets easier to mess with EVs, IVs, Natures, etc. and there are more Pokémon and moves and abilities and all that to pick from. The more we have to work with the more varied and interesting competitive is going to get and I think that's a good thing. On the note of competitive - abilities as well as the physical/special split introduced in D/P are both hugely welcome from me. If only those things could be integrated into the older games, i.e. pre-3rd Gen. Although that said I do have a very soft spot for Ruby and Sapphire versions since Ruby was the first game I really got into. Buuuuut it was also the first game where I thought "ok, these Pokémon are looking overdone now" so w/e.

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